Honorary Fellowship

Below is high-level information about the program criteria to help you determine if you are a good fit for the Honorary Fellowship. For full criteria and guidelines, please refer to the submission guide in the Resources tab.

Eligibility

“An architect of esteemed character and distinguished achievements who is not entitled to practice architecture in any state of the United States, is not a resident of the United States, and does not primarily practice architecture within the domain of the Institute, may be admitted to Honorary Fellowship.”
—AIA Bylaws, section 2.51.

Honorary Fellowship is open to architects:

• Not licensed to practice architecture in any U.S. state.
• Do not primarily live or practice in the U.S.

Nomination

Any AIA member may nominate qualified individuals for Honorary Fellowship. Your nominator may also serve as your sponsor, if eligible.

2026

Submissions are now open. 

Submission guide & forms 

The 2026 AIA Honorary Fellowship Application PDF contains the full criteria and guidelines for the program. 

Nomination signature form

Photographer's licensing form 

The DQ checklist includes potential criteria that can result in disqualification. Use it to cross-check your materials before you hit the submit button.

Examples of successful applications

Each year jurors and staff identify exemplary submissions to guide you in preparing your own materials. Ultimately, your submission should be unique to you, but it can be helpful to see visual examples of how previous candidates have told their stories. 

To request a copy of a submission not listed here, you can email our archivist. While the criteria are not identical, it can be helpful to review best examples of Fellowship submissions as well.

Objects of Nomination

• Object One: To promote the aesthetic, scientific, and practical efficiency of the profession. 
  Sub-Objects: Design | Urban Planning & Design | Preservation

  Fellowship in this Object is granted to architects who have produced an extensive body of distinguished work that has been broadly recognized for its design excellence by their peers, the media, and/or through publications that have had a significant effect on the trajectory of architectural design. Work should exhibit excellence through a holistic approach that integrates creativity, functionality, sustainability, human experience, context sensitivity, and cultural relevance to create meaningful and impactful built environments that enrich the lives of people and communities. Works submitted may be of any size, for any client, of any scope, and reflecting any type of architectural design service. This may be accomplished through individual or collaborative effort with the applicant playing a significant role in the design. Demonstrating application of the AIA Framework for Design Excellence and resulting impacts should be part of the submission. 

  Design may include design of a building or project. 

  Urban Design and Planning may include work related to a city, district, or campus. 

  Preservation may include design related to the restoration, conservation, and/or the rehabilitation of a culturally significant work (this differs from the Sub-object of Technical Advancement in Preservation of Object 2). 

• Object Two: To advance the science and art of planning and building by advancing the standards of practice.
  Sub-Objects: Practice management | Practice Technical Advancement

  Fellowship in this Object is granted to architects who have made notable contributions to the profession through their work and how it has broadly impacted/ is impacting others’ practice of architecture. 

  Practice Management may include firm leadership, management, administration, or project management if the candidate can demonstrate their impact on others’ practices, preferably with a broad ripple effect. 

  Practice Technical Advancement may include sharing widely specific building type innovations and best practices such as Education, Healthcare, etc., and/or technical expertise such as building performance, envelope design, etc. (For example, practice technical advancement of preservation projects might be based on the architect’s strong commitment to historical research, implementation of unique preservation techniques, and coupled with their strong focus on the actual construction implementation to enhance our physical heritage.) 

• Object Three: To coordinate the building industry, and the profession of architecture.
  Sub-Objects: Led the Institute | Led a Related Organization

  Fellowship in this Object is granted to architects who have actively, efficiently, and cooperatively led the Institute or a related professional organization over a sustained period of time and have gained widespread recognition for the results of their work. Architects applying in this Object should include information to show how they: 

  Elevated the role of the profession and the Institute (or related organization) in the eyes of the community. 

  Enhanced the visibility of the Institute (or related organization). 

  Directly impacted members’ engagement with the Institute (or related organization), that through their actions members are more invested/engaged with the Institute (or related organization) and its mission; make note if the value of the Institute (or related organization) to members has been improved, and how. 

  Created or enhanced initiatives that empower members to be more active in the Institute (or related organization) and/or their community; how members have been affected by these initiatives. Show if these initiatives have been replicated or have inspired others to create new initiatives in their regions, and can initiatives sustain themselves once candidate is no longer involved. 

  Show impact beyond their chapter’s geographic location, i.e., your ripple effect on the profession or society. 

• Object Four: To ensure the advancement of the living standards of people through their improved environment.
  Sub-Objects: Public service | Government | Industry Organizations

  Fellowship in this Object is granted to architects who have made notable contributions in public service, government, or industry organizations by providing transformative leadership in architecture, planning, and design of an organization’s unique built environment. Architects applying in this Object will have clearly raised the standards of professional practice within organizations they are part of by leading positive change that advances the mission, impact, visibility, and effectiveness of organizations. Significant improvements can include such elements as conservation, beautification, and expansion of buildings, landscape, infrastructure, land-use regulation, transportation infrastructure, removal or transformation of blighted areas. Demonstrating a correlation to the AIA Framework for Design Excellence should be part of the submission. 

  Public Service may include providing leadership as an architect within the public service sector including areas such as transportation infrastructure, energy and environmental industry, public libraries, public art, public foundations. Government may include providing leadership as an architect within the military, regional, national, or international government service areas such as embassies, government funded programs such the Peace Corps or Army Corp of Engineers. Industry Organizations may include providing leadership as an architect within areas such as healthcare, education, higher education, community foundations, and cultural institutions or systems. 

• Object Five: To make the profession of ever-increasing service to society.
  Sub-Objects: Alternative career | Service to Society | Volunteer work with organizations not directly connected with the built environment

  Fellowship in this Object is granted to architects who have made notable contributions that have benefited and impacted the profession beyond their own practice, community, or region through one of the following: Alternative Career may include a career related to architecture that illustrates outstanding achievements that support the architectural profession. Service to Society may include extensive volunteer work related to architecture with organizations not directly connected with the built environment. Work with Organizations not directly connected with the Built Environment may include service that transcends the customary architectural practice that have wide reaching impacts that serve as a national model. 

• Object Six: To advance the science and art of planning and building by advancing the standards of architectural education and training.
  Sub-Objects: Education | Research | Literature

  Fellowship in this Object is granted to architects who have made notable contributions to one of the following: Work in Education may include teaching, research, administration, or writing and should have a lasting impact, be widely recognized, and provide meaningful contributions to academic thought and scholarship including a commitment to intellectual curiosity, rigor, integrity, and the pursuit of knowledge for the betterment of society. Work in Research may include building codes and standards, specifications, new material applications, or inventions. Research should include work that has advanced the profession, informed design practice, or has addressed pressing global issues related to sustainability, urbanization, health, and social justice. Work in Literature may include writings that have inspired critical thinking, fostered innovation, and contributed to the ongoing dialogue about the role of architecture in shaping the world we inhabit. 

• Demonstrating Impact: The Ripple Effect
• Candidates for Fellowship in the AIA are required to submit an application that includes documentation of work that demonstrates the "ripple effect" they have had on the profession. This term is essentially shorthand for the significant impact candidate's work has made on the field of architecture and on society, extending beyond their daily practice or their immediate geographic area. For example, ripple effect should be demonstrated by public speaking, contributions to national and regional publications, mentoring, teaching, service to the profession, broad geographic influence, or legacy through others.
• AIA Values
• Throughout the submission, candidates are encouraged to highlight any aspects of their work as an architect or life experience that has reflected contributions to or influence of areas of special interest to AIA, its members, and the architecture profession. These include, but are not limited to, the Public Policies and Position Statements of the AIA. Contributions or influences might include such areas as diversity, sustainability, or the mentoring of emerging professionals, to the degree the candidate has had the opportunity to address them, or as these topics may enhance the presentation.
• AIA Framework for Design Excellence
• While Fellowship submissions are not required to fit comprehensively within the Framework principles, candidates are strongly encouraged to consider their submission in this context. For additional information visit the AIA Framework for Design Excellence. 

Submissions

For more information on opening and deadline dates, please see AIA Awards FAQ.

Meet the AIA Honorary Fellows 2025—recognized for their exceptional contributions on an international level.

The following individuals have been recognized as Honorary AIA Fellows for their exceptional work and contributions to architecture and society on an international level.

Alison Brooks, Hon. FAIA
London, England
Alison Brooks Architects
Object One

Tatiana Bilbao, Hon. FAIA
Mexico City, Mexico
Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO
Object One

Kain Bon Albert Chan, Hon. FAIA
Shanghai, China
Shui On Land
Object Five

Junya Ishigami, Hon. FAIA
Tokyo, Japan
Jun'ya Ishigami Associates
Object One

Hu Li, Hon. FAIA
Beijing, China
OPEN Architecture
Object One

Michel Rojkind, Hon. FAIA
Mexico City, Mexico
Rojkind Arquitectos
Object One

Masaharu Rokushika, Hon. FAIA
Tokyo, Japan
AR Associates
Object Three
 

Brinda Somaya, Hon. FAIA
Mumbai, India
SNK
Object One

Kerstin Thompson, Hon. FAIA
Melbourne, Australia
Kerstin Thompson Architects
Object One

Lyndon Uykim Neri, Hon. FAIA
Shanghai, China
Neri&Hu Design and Research Office
Object One

Visit the AIA College of Fellows directory to see all members elevated. 

For demographic information on Fellows and other membership categories, please refer to the AIA Membership Demographics Report. 

• Submissions open: June 25, 2025
• Submission deadline: October 8, 2025 at 5pm ET
• Notification to candidates: Mid-February 2026
• Public announcement: Late February 2026
•  

Fee: $450; You will not be asked to pay until your submission is complete.

2026 Jury

Sanford Garner, FAIA, Jury Chair, RG Collaborative, Indianapolis, IN

Roderick Ashley, FAIA, Roderick Ashley Architect, Portland, OR 

Margaret Carney, FAIA, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 

Julie Hiromoto, FAIA, HKS, Dallas, TX 

John Horky, FAIA, Ripples, by design, Milwaukee, WI 

Mitra Kanaani, FAIA, NewSchool of Architecture & Design, San Diego, CA 

Christine Mondor, FAIA, evolve, LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 

Jose Javier Toro, FAIA, Toro Arquitectos, San Juan, PR

Joseph Ruocco, FAIA, SOM, Washington, D.C. 

Lourdes Solera, FAIA, M.C. Harry & Associates, Miami, FL

Contacting the Jury

To protect the integrity of the awards process, active candidates are prohibited from contacting members of the Jury during the submission process. Communication with any of the above, from the time of submittal to completion of the jury process, by the candidate or anyone acting on their behalf is cause for immediate disqualification.  

Recognition for this program typically includes the following elements, but may be subject to change. Elevated candidates will receive additional information about this cycle's recognition benefits with their selection notification.

• •    Promotional recognition in AIA communication channels.
  •    Complimentary AIA26 Conference on Architecture & Design registration.
• New Fellows will receive an invitation to participate in the AIA College of Fellows Investiture ceremony, Fellows Reception, and other COF events at the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design. For more information about these events, contact cof@aia.org.